Woven tubular fabric



WOVEN TUBULAR FABRIC William Cole, Newtown, Conn.

Application February 16, 1959, Serial No. 793,497 8 Claims. (Cl.139-387) 'The present invention relates to a woven fabric and moreparticularly to a fabric that is tubular and may be united with a fluidresistant material to form a hose.

sion, etc. without affecting the interior surface capabilities ofcontaining the fluid under pressure. Thus a two-ply fabric hasheretofore been proposed with the exterior ply being employed to resistthe service injuries, wear,

etc. while the inner ply is employed to provide the strength to containthe fluid.

' --It is an object of the present invention to achieve the advantagesaccruing to a one-ply woven tubular fabric by providing a woven tubularfabric which may be used in a fire hose that is essentially two-ply andyet one which may be unitarily made in a single weaving operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide atubular fabric ofthe above type that may be used in afirehose and which has an increasedresistance to elon- .gatiori and twist when containing fluid underpressure. 1 Incarrying out the present invention, there is provided awoven tubular fabric having warp and woof strands. The woof strands areformed from a length of at least one thread helically disposed while thewarp strands extend transversely of and are interwoven with the woofstrands' to form the tubular hose. The interweaving may be of the plainweave type, as one up and one down, or of the twill weave type havingtwo up and one down which produces a tight weave capable of resistingservice injuries, wear, etc.

There is also provided a plurality of additional warp strands thatextend transverse of and are interwoven with the woof strands; however,according to the present invention, the interweaving consists of loopingeach of the additional warp strands with only a few of the woof Uniwd5W6 Patent strands, thus looping each additional warp strandwith,

for example, a first woof strand, and then leaving the additional warpstrands free for a plurality of successive woof strands before loopingit with the following woof strand. In this manner the additional warpstrands are interwoven with the woof strands to be unitary therewith andyet, by reason of the loo-ping constituting only a minor portion of thelength of the additional warp strands, these additional warp strandsconstitute in efifect a ply of sub- 'stantially straight lengths whicheffectively resist elongation and twist of the hose.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear. In the drawing:Figure 1 is a plan of one side of a short length of abric, madeaccording to the present invention with the "fabric being dilated toclearly disclose each strand.

Fig. 2. is a diagrammatic illustration of the interweaving of thestrands of the fabric in Fig. 1.

, Fig. 3 is a view, similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification of thefabric of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a further embodiment of thepresent invention.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a length of tubular hose employingfabric woven according to thepresent invention.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of an axial cross-section of the hose ofFig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan of the other side of the fabric shown in Fig. 1 withthe fabric being shown undilated.

Referring to the drawing, the fabric of the present invention isgenerally referred to by the reference numeral 10 and as shown in Figs.1, 2 and 7, it consists of a plurality of successive woof strands 11,11a, 11b, 110, etc. formed from a single thread that is helically woundsuch that a cross-section shows the successive strands indicated though,if desired, more than one helically disposed thread may be employed toform the woof strands. Interwoven with the woof strands 11 are warpstrands 12 and 13, the weave between the warp and woof strands in thesefigures being a plain weave of the type having each of the warp strandslooping alternate woof strands to provide a weave known as one up, onedown, the interweaving of the warp strands 12 and 13 with the woofstrands forming a base.

In carrying out the present invention a plurality of additional warpstrands 14 are provided. The number of additional warp strands will, ofcourse, depend upon the size of the hose and in order to simplify theexplanation of the invention reference will be made only to a portion ofthe fabric since the weave of the one portion is repeated throughout thefabric.

According to the present invention each of the addi tional warp strandsis interwoven with the woof strand by being looped with selected onesthereof in a manner which provides a substantial length of eachadditional warp strand being free from the woof strands. Thus theinvention contemplates each additional warp strand to loop a woofstrand, be free from at least the next three successive woof strands andthen loop the following woof strand to repeat the weave of looping andthen skipping at least three warp strands.

In the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 7 withparticular reference to Fig. 2, each additional warp strand betweenlooping the woof strands is free (or skips) seven woof strands. There isprovided in this portion of the weave eight additional warp strands,indicated by the reference numerals 14, 14a, 14b, etc. to 14g, in orderto enable each of the woof strands to be looped in the portion by anadditional warp strand. The additional warp strand 14 loops the woofstrand 11, then is free from woof strands 11a through 11g before itloops woof strand 11h to begin repeating the weaving pattern. Similarly,additional warp strand 14a loops over woof strand 11a, is free fromseven woof strands 11b through 11h and loops woof strand 11i. Additionalwarp strand 14b loops woof strand 11b, is free from seven woof strands11c through Hi and loops woof strand 111'. It will be appreciated thatthe other additional woof strands (Me-14g) in the portion are interwovenin the same fashion as the three above mentioned to have only one of theadditional warp strands engage each of the woof strands in the portionand be free from a plurality thereof before it repeats the weave bylooping the following woof strand.

As shown in Fig. 7, each of the additional warp strands has asubstantial length that is free from the woof strands between loopstherewith and also that all of the additional warp strands andparticularly the free portions thereof are located on one side of thebase formed by the woof strands and the warp strands 12 and 13. On thisside the additional warp strands are closely spaced and are suflicientin number to substantially completely overlie and hide the warp strands12 and 13. It will moreover be appreciated that the additional warpstrands. on each side of one additional warp strand loop the precedingand successive woof strands which the one additional warp strand loops,thus effecting the diagonally twill effect shown in Fig. 7. Moreover thefree portions of the additional warp strands are all of substantiallythe same length by being free of the same number of successive woofstrands, the woof strands being substantially equispaced. r

In the particular embodiment shown, Figs. 1, 2 and 7, there are eightadditional warp strands crossways, before the weave repeats itself, i.e.an additional warp strand loops the same woof strand. Thus the number ofwoof strands of which each additional warp strand is free between loopsis equal to the number of additional warp strands located betweenadditional warp strands that loop the same woof strand, i.e., seven inboth instances. While there has been shown a fabric in which theadditional warp strands have portions free from seven woof strands, itis, of course, apparent that this number may be varied according to thepresent invention from at least three as a minimum. For example, shownin Fig. 3 is a fabric 15 in which there are four additional warp strandsin a portion of the weave before it repeats itself with each of theadditional warp strands being free from three successive woof strandsbetween loops with woof strands. The weave is otherwise the same abovenoted in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 7.

Shown perspectively in Fig. is a length of hose 16 with the additionalwarp strands being on the inner side of the hose. The hose is lined witha fluidproof material, such as rubber 17. The additional warp strands bybeing substantially straight and having very little interweaving actlike straight cords, thereby preventing elongation of the hose and ineffect constituting an inner ply of the hose.

Shown in Fig. 4 is a further embodiment of the woven tubular fabric ofthe present invention in which the fabric 18 rather than having a baseof a plain weave between the woof strands 11 and warp strands 19a, 19band 190 as in the embodiments disclosed heretofore, are woven to form atwill weave having two up and one down so that each warp strand loops awoof strand, is free from the next two woof strands and loops thefollowing woof strand. Also, additional warp strands 21 of the presentinvention are woven therein in a manner such as shown in the embodimentshown in Fig. 3 in which each additional warp strand loops a woofstrand, skips the next three successive woof strands and loops thefollowing woof strand. It will be appreciated that if desired theadditional warp strands may be free from a larger number than threesuccessive woof strands. The portions of the additional warp strands 21that are free from the woof strands are located on one side of thefabric 18 (which is preferably the inner) while the portions of the warpstrands 1%, 19b and 190 that skip two woof strands to form the base arelocated on the other side of the fabric.

It is preferred to have the warp strands of a size larger than theadditional warp strands and of either twisted or untwisted yarn thoughvariations in size may be made within the scope of the presentinvention.The fabric heretofore disclosed may be easily woven in a singleoperation on a machine of the type disclosed in the U8. patent to C. S.Cole, No. 2,609,838 granted September 9, 1952.

It will accordingly be appreciated that there has been disclosed a woventubular fabric which is composed of a base having helically disposedwoof strands and interwoven therewith either in a plan or a twill weave,warp strands. Moreover there isv provided according to the presentinvention additional warp strands which extend transversely of the woofstrands and are interwoven with the woof strands only a preselectedpositions such that each additional warp strand loops a woof strand,skips at least three woof strands before looping the following woofstrand. This provides a unitary woven tubular fabric that is actuallyone-ply and made in one weaving operation but which achieves the resultsof a two-ply fabric when employed in a fire hose.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claimsand portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A woven tubular fabric comprising a single base supply of warpstrands extending transversely of at least one thread helically disposedforming successive woof strands and being interwoven therewith, and aplurality of additional warp strands, each of said additional warpstrands extending transversely 'of the woof strands and being interwoventherewith by looping one woof strand, and being free from at least thenext three successive woof strands before looping the following woofstrand, said additional warp strands forming one surface of the fabric.

2. A woven tubular fabric comprising a single base supply of warpstrands extending transversely of at least one thread helically disposedforming successive woof strands and being interwoven therewith, and aplurality of additional warp strands, each of said additional warpstrands extending transversely of the woof strands and being interwoventherewith by looping one woof strand, and being free from at least thenext three successive woof strands before looping the following woofstrand, all of the portions of the additional warp strands free from thewoof strands being located on one side of the base of interwoven warpand woof strands, said additional warp strands forming one surface ofthe fabric.

3. A woven tubular fabric comprising a base of warp strands extendingtransversely of at least one thread helically disposed formingsuccessive woof strands and being interwoven therewith, and a pluralityof additional warp strands, each of said additional warp strandsextending transversely of the woof strands and being interwoventherewith by looping one woof strand, and being free from at least thenext three successive woof strands before looping the following woofstrand, the additional warp strands on each side, of one additional warpstrand looping the preceding and successive woof strand which the oneadditional warp strand loops.

4. A woven tubular fabric comprising a single base supply of warpstrands extending transversely of at least one thread helically disposedforming successive woof strands and being interwoven therewith, and aplurality of additional warp strands, each of said additional warpstrands extending transversely of the woof strands and being interwoventherewith by looping one woof strand, and being free from at least thenext three successive woof strands before looping the following woofstrand, each of the portions of the additional Warp strands free fromthe woof strands being of substantially the same length by being free ofthe same number of successive woof strands, said additional warp strandsforming one surface of the fabric. 1

5. A woven tubular fabric comprising a base of warp strands extendingtransversely of at least one thread helically disposed formingsuccessive woof strands and being interwoven therewith, and a pluralityof additional warp strands, each of said additional warp strandsextending transversely of the woof strands and being interwoventherewith by looping one woof strand, and being free from at least thenext three successive woof strands before looping the following woofstrand, the number of woof strands of which each additional warp strandis free between loops being equal to the number of additional assumewarp strands located between additional warp strands that loop the samewoof strand.

6. A woven tubular fabric comprising a base of warp strandsextendingtransversely of at least one thread helically disposed formingsuccessive woof strands and being v interwoven therewith, a plurality ofadditional warp strands, each of said additional warp strands extendingtransversely of the woof strands and being interwoven t therewith bylooping one woof strand, and being free from at least the next threesuccessive woof strands bestrands, each of said additional warp strandsextending transversely of the woof strands and being interwoventherewith by looping one woof strand, and being free from at least thenext three successive woof strands before looping the following woofstrand, and in which the warp strands and the woof strands of the baseare interwoven in a twill weave with each warp strand looping a woofstrand, passing the next two successive woof strands and looping thefollowing woof strand.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 in which the portions of the warpstrands passing over the two woof strands are on one side of the fabricand the portions of the additional warp strands free from the woofstrands being on the other side of the fabric.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS268,366 Gillespie Nov. 28, 1882

